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Dr. Thomas Turner (Principle Investigator)
Email: turnert@unm.edu Researchgate and Scholar profile I study evolution and ecology of aquatic species, populations, and communities. I use theory, isotopes, genomes, museum resources and experiments to ask questions about the impacts of life history variation, disturbance, climate and land-use changes, and phylogenetic and geological history on biodiversity. I am also interested in the intersection of science and policy in endangered species conservation. To that end, I serve on the Independent Scientific Review Panel for the Columbia Basin Fish & Wildlife Program and on the Executive Committee of the Middle Rio Grande Endangered Species Act Collaborative Program. I am a Professor of Biology, Curator of Fishes in the Museum of Southwestern Biology, and Director of the Museum Research Traineeship (MRT) Graduate Training Program. I also serve as the Interim Associate Vice President for Research at UNM. I like big fish! |
Affiliated Scientists
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Dr. Megan Osborne (Research Professor)
Email: mosborne@unm.edu Megan's web site and Scholar profile I am an evolutionary biologist with expertise in conservation and population genetics, systematics and phylogeography across a broad suite of taxa including fishes, marsupials, birds, amphibians and reptiles. I use empirical genetic data to understand how geological and contemporary processes act to shape how species and their genetic legacy are distributed in space and time. For the past 20 years, I have worked in the arid and semi-arid regions of the American Southwest on population genetics and phylogeography of freshwater fishes of the Rio Grande, Colorado River and Canadian River basins. Current research projects include using parentage analysis to understand the reproductive ecology of Bonytail, long-term genetic monitoring of the Rio Grande silvery minnow and comparative population genetics of Pecos and Canadian River fishes. |
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Dr. Guilherme Caiero Dias (Post-Doctoral Scientist)
Email: gcaeirodias@unm.edu Guilherme's Scholar Profile I am interested in population and conservation genetics and evolution of speciation. I use population genetics and phylogenetic reconstructions to study the evolutionary relationships and distribution of genetic variation. I finished my PhD on Biodiversity, Genetics and Evolution, a joint degree from Faculty of Sciences of University of Porto and Faculty of Sciences of University of Lisbon, Portugal. During my PhD I used niche modeling and analysis of hybrid zones in a complex of lizard species to study processes involved in barriers against gene flow and the genomic build-up of reproductive isolation. My PhD work was based on genomic data produced with Next Generation sequencing techniques and analyzed through the most recent bioinformatics resources. |
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Dr. Megan Barela Hudgell (NSF Post-Doctoral Fellow, Co-Mentored with I. Salinas)
Email: mahudgell@unm.edu Megan's Website and ResearchGate Profile I am a comparative immunologist interested in the evolution and diversification of immune gene families and how that relates to the ecosystems in which they are found. I received my bachelor's degree in both biology and biochemistry from the University of New Mexico where I conducted research on the immune system of the genus of snails, Biomphalaria, in response to parasite infection with Schistosoma. I received my Ph.D. in 2022 from George Washington University in Washington DC where I studied the immune system of the sea urchin Strongylocentrotus purpuratus. My current research focuses on studying the immune system of Gila trout in an attempt to understand how the reduction of gene diversity potentially affects the ability of organisms to respond to pathogens. |
Graduate Students
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David Camak (PhD Candidate)
Email: dcamak@unm.edu David's Scholar profile My broad interests include ichthyology, population genetics, bioinformatics, and conservation. My research involves using population genetics and bioinformatics methods to assess the dynamics of populations of species that are at risk of extinction in order to guide management decisions. My focal group is the Gila Trout (Oncorhynchus gilae), a federally listed salmonid species native to tributaries of the Gila River in New Mexico and Arizona. Specifically, my work addresses potential threats to Gila Trout including, but not limited to, introgressive hybridization with nonnative Rainbow Trout (O. mykiss), significant population bottlenecks, fragmentation, and significant habitat changes caused by climate change. |
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Alex Cameron (PhD Candidate)
Email: alcameron@unm.edu Alex's Scholar profile Broadly, I am interested in how genetic processes at the population level vary throughout a species’ range and in turn how this genetic variation may ultimately lead to local adaptation. Prior to joining the Turner lab, my research was predominately focused on lungless salamanders in the genus Plethodon, and spanned a variety of topics including general ecology, genetic marker development, and landscape genetics. My dissertation research is focused on implementing Next-Generation Sequencing methods for a range-wide genetic assessment of two federally listed cyprinids endemic to the Gila River basin, the Loach Minnow (Tiaroga cobitis) and Spikedace (Meda fulgida). |
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Katelyn Driscoll (PhD Candidate)
Email: katelyndriscoll@fs.fed.us Katelyn's Scholar profile I received my BS in Biology and a Spanish minor from Gonzaga University in Spokane, WA in 2010 and earned my MS in Systems Ecology from the University of Montana in 2015. I currently works as a Research Ecologist for the USFS Rocky Mountain Research Station while pursuing my PhD at the University of New Mexico. I am interested in how the structure and function of riparian, aquatic, and groundwater-dependent ecosystems are impacted at large scales by restoration and interacting disturbances. I use diverse tools including field work, modeling, and remote sensing techniques to understand these topics. |
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Eliza Gilbert (PhD Student)
Email: egilbe01@unm.edu Eliza's Scholar Profile I am a rare species conservation biologist employed by the US Fish and Wildlife Service. During my nearly 20 years as a biologist, I have worked with herpetofauna and fishes in both marine and freshwater ecosystems. I am interested in applying concepts and methodologies from complexity science, such as the investigation of multi-dimensional and self-organized systems, to improve policy and management of rare species and their ecosystems. More specifically, I am interested in using nonlinear dynamics, time series analysis, and agent-based modeling to identify or infer causal networks between habitat and fish recruitment. |
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Gregor Hamilton (PhD Candidate)
Email: ghamilton@unm.edu I have previously worked largely with reptiles, including Narrow-headed Garter Snakes (Thamnophis rufipunctatus), Dune Sagebrush Lizards (Sceloporus arenicolus), and King Cobras (Ophiophagus hannah). My current research focuses on the effects of invasive aquatic species on freshwater food webs, and how invasive aquatic species affect subsidies and linkages in riparian food webs. I utilize a variety of tools such as stable isotope analysis and mesocosm experiments to investigate these sorts of questions. |
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Laurel Martinez (MS student)
Email: lfmartinez@unm.edu I received my B.S. in Environmental Science with a minor in Plant Biology at the University of Vermont and have worked on riparian research projects in the Santa Fe and Carson National Forests with the USFS Rocky Mountain Research Station. My research interests include plant community ecology, riparian ecology, and restoration ecology. Specifically, I want to explore how riparian plant communities respond to restoration and disturbance. |
Undergraduates
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Huachan Lucy Liang
Email: lucyliang@unm.edu Lucy is an undergraduate research assistant pursuing a psychology major and biology minor at the University of New Mexico. She began working in the Turner lab in Summer 2021. In the field, she is part of the Rio Grande Silvery Minnow monitoring team that collects genetic samples from sites in the Rio Grande. In the lab, she uses microsatellite and SNP genetic markers to genotype fishes to better understand their evolution, ecology, and conservation biology. She is currently conducting an independent project on Sand Shiner population genetics, and has assisted on Rio Grande Silvery Minnow and Bonytail genome projects. |
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Chloe McGuan
Email: cmcguan21@unm.edu Chloe joined the lab in December 2021 and is our newest undergraduate research assistant. She is a biology major working on simultaneous development of genomic resources for Bonytail and an extensive tissue archive for fishes in the Southwestern United States and Mexico. Stay tuned for more information! |